10 of the Best Things to See in Granada, Granada, Spain

The first thing I saw after arriving at the Granada bus station was distant snowy mountains behind a medieval-style tower. What an introduction that was to this amazing city. It was a showery weekend in March, winter was still clinging to the corners, and I was praying the rain would give me a couple of breaks to explore the best things to see in Granada.

Granada is very different to Seville, where I was living for a few months at the time, but the essential Andalucían culture of wine, tapas and narrow, beautiful streets remains the same. From the towering Alhambra keeping watch over the city, to the Moorish neighbourhoods of the Albaicín, the history of Granada is all around.

If you’re coming from the train station, then this lovely monastery is along your way into the city centre. It was the first monastery built by the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand. There are two garden cloisters, a Spanish Baroque sacristy and ornamentation comprised of over 1000 carvings.

The crown jewel of Granada, and the reason most people come to the city in the first place. This is the most-visited attraction in all of Spain, seeing over 2 million visitors each year and over 10,000 a day at its busiest. This isn’t just a castle - it’s an alcazaba (fortress), alcázar (palace) and a medina (city) all in one. Built on a hill overlooking the rest of Granada, it took the place of a Roman fortress, before being expanded by the Moorish Nasrid Kings in the 13th century. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).